


Somewhere Over the Rainbow

by mastfrenchtoast



Category: OFF (Game)
Genre: Anger, Angst, Crying, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2016-12-30
Packaged: 2018-09-13 08:31:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9115087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mastfrenchtoast/pseuds/mastfrenchtoast
Summary: The Judge always knew of the “script”, the role he played and to some extent the storyline. He could foresee most events before they happened and knew where he had to be to meet with the Batter and his puppeteer time and time again. Though, there were some things in this “script” that he didn’t know of, like the death of his dear brother Valarie. The ending of this game was also one of those things.AKAPablo and Zacharie talk about the ending of the game and their regrets.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I started working on this fic way back in August, but I figured I should finish and Revise it! Unfortunately I typed the ending on my phone and haven't had a chance to error check, so if there's any spelling or grammar mistakes please let me know!

All was silent except the small pitter patter of dainty paws, as a white cat walked through a cold and broken world. He was not walking with purpose, however. The feline had no destination in mind, he was to simply stumble through the lands from one end to another, and then back again. There was nothing else he could do.

All the color and vibrancy that once gave this world life was long gone, stolen away by a man (or a beast rather) in a baseball cap. Perhaps the Judge put too much trust in the hands of the stranger. Could he have somehow prevented it?

The Judge always knew of the “script”, the role he played and to some extent the storyline. He could foresee most events before they happened, and knew where he had to be to meet with the batter and his puppeteer time and time again. Though, there were some things in this “script” that he didn’t know of, like the death of his dear brother Valarie. The ending of this game was also one of those things.

The logical part of his mind knew that he couldn’t have prevented this, it was destined to happen, yet he couldn’t shake away the terrible feeling of sorrow in his chest. It felt as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his back.

So many innocents were lost because of one man, and If he had only been more cautious then maybe he could have stopped the Batter. Maybe he could have saved them, Maybe he could have saved Valerie.

Despite the desperate aching of his paws, The Judge pushed himself forwards. He didn’t want to stay in the same place for long, as there were strange, soulless beings that wandered the zones. They were painful to look at and even more painful to fight. the cat wanted to try and avoid them all together.

As he continued walking he spotted a familiar figure in the distance. A young man with Black hair, and a large bag that looked too large for him to carry. The Judge quickly walked towards him. He was about to call out his name when two massive wings unfurled behind the masked man’s back.

Without warning he turned around and nearly struck the cat with a large sword. The judge let out a startled mew as he leapt away from his attacker, who appeared to be equally surprised.

“Oh, Pablo!” Zacharie said, lowering his weapon “My apologies, friend. For a second I thought you were one of the secretaries.” 

The judge hadn’t even considered that the merchant was still alive, he thought that the masked man would have disappeared along with the rest of the population. Then again, zacharie was not an elsen.

“I’m glad to see you’re still alive, dearest Friend.” The judge replied giving the Merchant a small, tired grin.

“Same too you, I was sure I was the only one left.” He said with a sigh of relief, the wings disappearing just as quickly as they arrived.

He sat down beside the cat, giving him a small pat on the head. He sighed and glanced around the grey dead zone before turning to face the judge again. “What happened to this place, Pablo?” he asked, concerned.

“After the Batter left to fight the queen, I just thought I’d go sell some merch to some elsen, but before I even made it to the previous zone...” He trailed off, his arms folded across his chest as if he was trying to shield himself from the desolate world.

Pablo returned his gaze to the merchant, a forlorn look in his eyes. “I’m afraid the Batter’s intentions were...not as pure as he claimed them to be.”

Zacharie said nothing, he just turned and looked off into the distance. The Judge wish he knew what was running through his friend’s mind. They had both become well acquainted with the Batter by his journey’s end, and he was unsure how Zacharie would react to the capped man’s betrayal.

“I...I see.” He said after a bit, but his voice was much quieter than normal. It seemed as though all the humor and optimism that he once had was drained away. “I always had a feeling that something like this would happen but, I never thought that…”

The judge turned to him, his head slightly tilted to the side. “Zacharie, why are you crying?”

He lifted a hand under his mask and was clearly surprised to find thin tears streaming down his cheeks and dripping from his chin. As the tears slowly increased in size He buried his face in his hands.

The Judge felt something drop in his stomach. To see his once calm, witty companion become so broken almost made him feel sick. Both the Judge and Valerie would rely on zacharie for his level headedness and cheer, but now even he was lost.

The Judge gently leaned against his friend, in an attempt to comfort him. He wanted to console him, tell him that it would all be okay, and that things would get better, but he honestly didn’t know if he could even convince himself. The world they once loved is now dead, and there’s nothing they could do about it. How are you supposed to find the silver lining in a situation like that?

The two just sat in the quiet, the only sounds heard was Pablo’s soft purring and Zacharie’s hushed sobs. They stayed that way for what felt like hours, huddled together. 

“I’m sorry Zacharie.” The judge finally spoke, looking up at him. The merchant looked back, confused. “I’m so sorry. If there were some way I could return to the beginning, and fix my mistakes I would do it in a heartbeat.”

“It’s not your fault.” He responded, wiping away tears from under his mask. “There’s nothing more you could have done.”

“And, yet I still feel so remorseful.” He said “If only I had known, then I could have extirpated that unlawful being before he even left my zone.”His tail thrashed back and forth as he spoke.

“Is this my punishment? Is this what I deserve for being ignorant to the evil that stood before me?” The judge's voice began increasing in volume. “My only brother is dead, my world is destroyed so why am I still here!”

“Pablo,” Zacharie started

He looked down at the ground, noticing the small indents his claws had made. He took a deep breath, looking back up at Zacharie.

“I apologize, friend, my mind is not at its best,” He shook his head, as if that would clear it of negative thoughts. “at least we’re not entirely alone.”

Zacharie nodded in reply. He sighed at looked off into the distance. “Our game is over, isn’t it?” his tone was flippant, similar to the way he spoke before this disaster. Something was different though, he sounded defeated as if he accepted his fate.

“I’m afraid so,” the judge replied mirroring his tone. He yawned, laying down. “I suggest we sit and enjoy this sunset, as it may be the last one we lay eyes on.”


End file.
